FAA conclusion on Southwest Airlines: On time over safety

Corrosion found on Southwest Boeing aircrafts has become a safety concern. An aircraft, like any metal object, is inherently prone to corrosion. There is a lot of time spent painting an aircraft to help delay corrosion, but inevitably, nature will prevail. Usually, the development of corrosion will depend on how old the aircraft is, what type of environment it is based on, whether or not it is hangared, and how often it is cleaned. Left untreated, corrosion can make an aircraft unairworthy in just a few years.

On-time performance of an airline or keeping an aircraft safe, what is more important? For US-based Southwest Airlines, it may have been cheaper to overlook serious maintenance issues, getting upset at technician alerting Southwest Airline management to such safety concerns.